The present invention relates to a cutting apparatus for cutting elongated objects, such as rails or pipes.
A prior art rail cutting apparatus is disclosed in Japanese unexamined patent publication No. 5-346003. As shown in FIG. 12, the rail cutting apparatus includes a catch frame 201 for fixing a rail 200. A pair of slide shafts 202 extends from a rear end of the catch frame 201. A block 203 is slidably supported by the slide shafts 202. An arm 204 is tiltably supported by the block 203. The arm 204 supports a rotatable blade 205 for cutting the rail 201, a blade cover 206 and an engine 207 for driving the rotatable blade 205.
As the arm 204 is tilted downward, the rotatable blade 205 moves toward and cuts the rail 200. However, when the arm 204 is tilted downward, the blade cover 206 and the engine 207 also tilt along with the arm 204. Therefore, if an obstacle is located on or near the rail 200, the blade cover 206 and/or the engine 207 may contact the obstacle and disturb the cutting operation. Furthermore, when the engine 207 is tilted, the oil level of the engine 207 is changed, and the float of the engine's carburetor is moved, so the performance of the engine 207 is affected, and the risk of engine trouble is increased.